What does a translator, copywriter or proofreader actually do?

If you're thinking about getting help with your public-facing texts, you'll want to know what kind of services are available, so you can decide what you want to outsource and what you would rather do yourself.

(Lees deze pagina in het Nederlands.)

How language works

Words can be very impactful. You can truly connect with your readers when you choose the right words. You can make them laugh or trigger their emotions, but you can also show them something new, convince and motivate them. A good text usually does several of these things at the same time. Think of your text as a mechanism of words that resonates with your audience. And the better that mechanism is constructed, the greater the chance of it working the way you intend.

When you translate a text, or have it translated for you, you expect the translated text to have the same impact on your audience as the original. But rebuilding a mechanism of words so that it's just as effective in another language requires considerable skill. If you do it yourself, even with AI as your assistant, it will take quite some time to get the translation exactly as you want it. This can be particularly difficult if you have multiple texts or longer documents. You will want certain terms to be translated consistently, and you will want all your texts in the same style and tone of voice that reflects the values you or your company want to convey.

Perhaps you’re good with languages, but you prefer to engage a professional to add the finishing touches. Or you prefer to spend your time on other things and opt to outsource everything related to your public-facing texts. In either case – and for everything in between – you're at the right place here. Because, besides translating texts you’ve already written, you can ask me to edit and correct, rewrite or even write for you from scratch. And that's very convenient, because sometimes you don't know in advance which services you actually need.

In the following section you can read about how I set about translating, writing, or improving a text – and I explain the difference between editing and correcting. My goal is always the same: to create a well-thought-out text (mechanism of words) that does exactly what you want, carefully tuned to the audience’s needs.

Translating your texts into Dutch

 When you come across a word in another language you don't know, you can easily look it up online, but as a translator, I do much more than that. Translating a text essentially means rewriting it in another language, using the correct vocabulary and appropriate idiom for the audience, and of course, applying the grammar rules correctly. Grammar rules determine the sentence structure, while vocabulary weaves a rich tapestry of meanings, unique to each language. Often, a word has a slightly different meaning in another language, is used in different contexts, or brings other associations to mind. There are also expressions, proverbs and sayings to consider. Sometimes there is an equivalent or similar expression in Dutch I can use: for example, ‘fruit and veg’ is a common expression in English, but in Dutch we say ‘groente en fruit’ the other way round.

As a translator, my high-level English is more than adequate to recognise these nuances and idiosyncrasies and to render them correctly in Dutch. What's more, my copywriter instinct always helps when I’m revising my draft translations.

While I’m translating, I’m always asking myself questions such as:

• what does my client or author want to achieve with this text?

• can I package the message in such a way that it will appeal to a Dutch audience?

• does the reader need more information?

• can I think of an alternative slogan that would work better or suggest a local example to catch the imagination?

Translation is a continuation of writing and calls for considerable creativity when transforming short and idiomatic texts (which is why it's called 'transcreation'). For example, when I'm working on and advert or tagline, I’ll always offer alternatives to choose from, not only because tastes differ, but the result must match the client's style and tone of voice. For a text intended for online use, I make sure it's SEO-friendly, which means that it contains relevant search terms without sounding awkward. Because you want your target audience to easily find your text, but it won't be impactful if they click away without actually reading.

Editing, correcting, rewriting

If you have a text that has already been translated, I'm happy to correct or edit it for you. I will compare the original text with the translation sentence by sentence to check that it has been translated correctly. At the same time, I’ll correct any typos and spelling mistakes. I will also check and correct other aspects at sentence level, such as getting the word order right, fixing grammatical errors and putting the commas in the right place. We call this kind of work proofreading. If a text already reads well, proofreading will be enough to ensure it is ready for you to use.

Sometimes a (translated) text needs a little more to make it clear and easy to read. In that case, I'll look at the structure of the whole document. I might add subheadings or move paragraphs around to improve readability. For example, does the text have a clear beginning and end, and does the middle section link these logically. Are the sentences and paragraphs easy to read and consistent, for example in Dutch, I’ll check whether ‘u’ or ‘jij’ (for a formal or informal tone) are used consistently. Or if it’s a translated text, whether ‘he’ and ‘she’ or the gender neutral ‘they’ is translated consistently throughout. We call this kind of work copy-editing.

By examining these issues and making changes where necessary, I can make your text more powerful and persuasive. And this improves readability, which is exactly what you want. Because the easier it is to read and understand, the greater the chance your text will have the effect you want it to have on the reader.

Basically, there's only one good reason not to edit a text. If the text needs extensive corrections to make it usable, it is usually quicker to start afresh, just like there's often no point in repairing an old electrical appliance, it’s cheaper to buy a new one. Of course, we can reuse the parts that still work well, but in this rewriting process, I’ll create a catchy introduction, a better structure and a different tone. As editor, I’ll pull out all the stops to get your message across in the best possible way.

Texts that have already been translated generally don't need rewriting. But if you're not satisfied with a translation, it's usually better – and faster – to re-translate the text. Or write a new text (yourself).